The
2003 season saw major breakthroughs into World Class
for Natasha Danvers and Matt Douglas and some excellent
performances in the Junior ranks, topped by medals for
Rhys Williams and Rupert Gardner in the European u20
Championships.

In overall
event terms there was on the men's side a drop off from
the chase for Commonwealth Games places in 2002 - though
at the top end the competition for Olympic places next
year still looks very strong. On the women's side Danvers'
continues to dominate with her nearest domestic rivals
not able to close on major championship qualifying times
after progression for the Manchester Commonwealths.
However there was again eight women below 59 seconds
and twelve below 60 - one more than in 2002.

--------------------------------------

SENIOR
MEN

2003

2002
Time

PB
if superior

48.44

CHRIS RAWLINSON

48.21

48.14

48.54

MATT DOUGLAS

49.67

49.26

49.12

ANTHONY BORSUMATO

48.90

--

49.62

MATT ELIAS

49.11

--

50.61

BRAD YIEND

52.44

--

50.90

STEVE GREEN [u23]

50.96

--

For
the 4th year in row Chris Rawlinson was Britain's
number one male 400m hurdler with excellent victories
in the Europa Cup [48.45 easing down from lane 1]
and the GB vs USA vs Russia International [48.44]
however injury in the run in to the World Championships
hampered his quest for a medal, ending up 6th in the
final after a 48.54 semi final.

Excitingly
though Matt Douglas had a huge breakthrough during
the World Championships - though his performance came
in the World University Games in Daegu Korea where
he took almost three quarters of a second off his
previous best with 48.53 semi final clocking, before
taking his first senior individual medal with silver
in 49.25.

Anthony
Borsumato had his world championships cut painfully
short when breaking his ankle at the eighth hurdle
in the semi final, though he had been rounding into
good shape with a couple of low 49 second performances.
Behind these three it was a disappointing year for
Matt Elias [restricted by injury to 49.62] Steve Surety
and Liam Collins. With the most notable progress being
made by Birchfield's Brad Yiend who took almost 2
seconds of his 2002 pb to clock 50.61 in the AAA final.
Another first time 51 second performance was turned
in by Richard Lewis whose 50.99 was also archived
in the AAA final.

U23
MEN

2003

2002
Time

PB
if superior

50.90

STEVE GREEN

50.96

--

51.15

RHYS WILLIAMS
[u20]

51.65

--

51.40

JEFF CHRISTIE

51.33

--

51.4
.

RUPERT GARDNER
[u20]

52.29

--

51.63

DAVE BRACKSTONE

52.1
.

--

52.12

RICH SMITH

51.14

--

The
prospects for the 2003 season had seemed promising
for the u23 age group with 4 or 5 athletes in contention
for the European u23 championships. However World
Junior finalist Steve Green wound up the only selection
as he came back into form towards the end of June
and marginally improved his pb in the senior AAA championships.

Jeff
Christie, Rich Smith and Dave Brackstone all had injury
problems in season although the latter also had a
late season breakthrough to 51.63. All the top six
will be in the age group for next season but is fair
to say that the season was much more fulfilling for
the u20 men than the for their counterparts in the
age group above.

U20
MEN

2003

2002
Time

PB
if superior

51.15

RHYS WILLIAMS

51.68

--

51.4
.

RUPERT GARDNER

52.29

--

52.35

RICHARD DAVENPORT

51.7
*

--

53.66

TOM CAREY

54.57

--

53.9
.

DAVID TAYLOR

54.7
.

--

54.19

BEN CARNE

55.68*

--

* youth 400H

Rhys
Williams became the first Briton to win the European
u20 title [and the second Welshman to take a continental
age group gold after Matt Elias' u23 victory in 2001].
Williams who was the fastest returning European junior
from the 2002 season led home a GB Gold & Bronze
success, reversing the defeat he had suffered at the
AAA u20 championships when Rupert Gardener recorded
a new best time of 51.4.

Behind
these two excellent performers, Richard Davenport
continued to show great promise in his outings at
the event and with 46 sec flat speed could be as serious
contender at the 2004 World Junior championships if
he focused on the one lap barriers.

There
was also solid development from Tom Carey, who ran
mid 53 second clocking's on a number of occasions,
with Ben Carne still having a further two yeas in
the age group.

SENIOR
WOMEN

2003

2002
Time

PB
if superior

54.02

NATASHA DANVERS

55.68

54.95

57.04

LIZ FAIRS

58.48

--

57.46

TRACEY DUNCAN

56.53

--

57.70

KATIE JONES

57.69

--

58.33

SINEAD DUDGEON

56.88

55.26

58.36

SIAN SCOTT [u20]

60.48

--

Natasha
Danvers enjoyed her best season yet and for a spell
it seemed as if the former European u23 and World
Universiade champion would be a medal contender in
Paris, after successive pb in Zagreb & Rome took
her down to 54.02 [almost a second better than her
previous best from 2001, 54.95]. However after injury
kept her out of the AAA trials, she never fully recaptured
her form. Never the less with undoubted improvement
her hurdling form [witnessed by a big improvement
to 12.96 in the sprint hurdles] it places her in a
good position to improve upon her 8th place in the
last Olympics in Sydney.

Behind
Danvers, however, Dudgeon and Duncan struggled to
recapture their best form and Sotherton after a few
promising outings at the end of 2002 concentrated
solely on the Heptathlon in 2003. Liz Fairs did show
marked improvement throughout the year to take her
first AAA 400H title with 57.04 an improvement of
a second and a half on her debut year last season.
Also of promise was Sian Scott's massive improvement
in the junior ranks [more below] whilst Hannah Stares
moved into 58 second terriritory with a 58.77 pb in
the heats of the AAA's and Jennifer Culley brought
her time down to 59.29.

U23
WOMEN

2003

2002
Time

PB
if superior

58.36

SIAN SCOTT u23

60.48

--

58.99

NICOLA SANDERS

58.72

--

59.15

HANNAH WOOD

58.8
.

--

59.8
.

ELIDHI CHILD [u20]

--

--

60.1
.

NUSRAT CEESAY

63.36

60.56

60.2
.

MELANIE CANNING
[u20]

61.49

--

A
dissapointing year for this age group after the season
had promised so much for the two leading u23 returners,
Nicola Sanders and Hannah Wood. Their season bests
were both achieved early in the campaign in May, but
injury caused Sanders to miss most of the rest of
the year after she opened up the season with a 59.2
clocking at Mt Sac, whilst Wood struggled to recapture
this level of form.

Ceesay
did show a return to form clocking 60.1, but the fact
that of the four sub 60 second clocking's in this
age group two were by juniors, highlights the lack
quality either exiting the junior ranks or being retained
as they enter 'senior' athletics. It is to be hoped
that the likes of Scott and Child [when she gets there!]
will develop to be able to compete at 56/7 second
level which is really needed if there is to be hope
of a transition into world level competition.

It
is probably fair to say that it is in the development
of this age group that most work is needed to develop
the long term strength of the event in Britain, with
the last 56 second u23 performer being Natasha Danvers
back in 1999.

U20
WOMEN

2003

2002
Time

PB
if superior

58.36

SIAN SCOTT

60.48

--

59.8
.

EILIDH CHILD

--

--

60.2
.

MELANIE CANNING

61.49

--

60.32

FAYE HARDING

61.3
.

60.06

60.4
.

NATALIE KYDD

63.23

60.6
.

60.2
.

MELANIE CANNING
[u20]

61.49

--

Undoubted
star of the year for this age group was Sian Scott,
the 2002 U20 AAA and ESAA champion - running 59.07
at the BUSA and then 58.36 to take the AAA u20 title.
[over 2 seconds quicker than her 2002 pb]. A similar
low 58 clocking qualified her for the European Junior
title where she ultimately finished 5th in 59.29,
but overall it was a great season for the Bournemouth
athlete who undoubtedly benefited from working with
her new coach Todd Bennett.

Also
of huge promise is Eilidh Child, the young Scot capping
her 300H National record season by dipping under 60
seconds in her first ever one lap outing - a performance
level that would have seen her fare favourably at
the European Youth Olympics. With three years in the
Junior ranks to come it is to be hoped that the Norman
Gardner coach athlete can develop the outstanding
potential she currently possess.

Two
other juniors who had shown great u17 promise Faye
Harding and Natalie Kydd also returned to something
like the form they had shown in 2001 after disappointing
2002 seasons and will be in the hunt for World Junior
championship places in 2004. AAA u20 bronze medallist
Melanie Canning finished the season strongly finishing
just outside 60 seconds as she prepares to move into
the u23 age group, in what was overall a highly satisfactory
year for the women's u20 age group.

19
October 2003

New Interactive
UKHC Forum

...............................

COLIN
JACKSON
As his career reached its finale, UKHC spoke to
COLIN JACKSON about his advice for the comming generation
of sprint hurdlers
................................

Rob Newton 13.36
for 4th on British All Time 110H lists in UKHC Race
Promotion at Loughborough
................................

Gary Winckler
Coach to Tonja Buford Bailey, seconfd on All time
400H lists looks at the Biomechanics of Sprint Hurdling